Following the reveal by Wendy Williams’ care team on Thursday that the host has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and dementia, Williams’ niece says the host “sounds really good.”
Alex Finnie stopped by “The View” on Thursday morning to give a few updates on her aunt’s circumstances, and noted that contact between Williams and her family has “been limited.” Finnie noted that, under the rules of the conservatorship, Williams is allowed to call her family, but they cannot call her.
So, when Finnie got a call from a blocked number recently, she answered it, only to be surprised by Wendy Williams on the other end of the line.
“We were on the phone for four hours and 37 minutes, because I hadn’t heard from her in months. And that was the reality,” Finnie explained. “I don’t remember who got off the phone first, but it was that feeling of like, when I get off the phone with you, I don’t know if I’m gonna hear from you again, so I’ll wait until you say ‘OK I gotta go, bye.’”
As the conversation progressed, host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked how Williams is, in Finnie’s opinion having spoken to her.
“She sounds really good,” Finnie said. “And I think that that honestly has been probably one of the best parts about being here and talking about this now, ’cause it’s so heavy. But she sounds really good.”
She continued, “I haven’t seen her, but we were able to have full conversations. She’s excited about her future. She talks about the possibility of getting back to work, but like I always remind her, first and foremost is your health.”
According to Finnie, getting to talk to her aunt was a huge development, as her guardians under the conservatorship have made access difficult.
“That has been a big problem for the family, in terms of just, ‘Can we get an update on how she’s doing?’ And I say this honestly, and that is, we went through birthdays, we went through the holidays, we went through illness,” Finnie said.
She continued, “There was a period where my grandfather was in the hospital … there was no way to contact her, and let her know what was going on with her 93-year-old father.”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
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